Machine for securing tab to package

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A MACHINE FOR SECURING A TAB TO A PACKAGE, FLATTENING THE PROJECTING TAB AND PUNCHING A HOLE THROUGH THE TAB. THE PACKAGE IS INTERMITTENTLY FED ALONG A TABLE OR SUPPORT TO THREE SUCCESSIVE STATIONS WHERE THE THREE OPERATIONS ARE CARRIED OUT.

p 20, 1971 J. ALEXANDER MACHINE FOR SECURING TAB T0 PACKAGE Filed April 16, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR dfi/WES fl fX/i/VDEP IWTOENEY Sept. 20, 1971 ALEXANDER 3,605,379

MACHINE FOR SECURING TAB TO PACKAGE Filed April 16, 1968 Sheets-Sheet z (Q (Q n INVENTOR.

v dfiMES 52 X/7/VDEP AWT Y p 20, 1971 J. ALEXANDER MACHINE FOR SECURING TAB T0 PACKAGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 16. 1968 INVENTOR. J9M5 fllf/Y/l/VDER P 20, 1971 J. ALEXANDER MACHINE FOR SECURING TAB TO PACKAGE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 16, 1968 INVENTOR. JAMES AKEXfl/VDE? ATTORNEY United States Patent O MACHINE FOR SECURING TAB T PACKAGE James Alexander, Belleville, N.J., assignor to Scandia Packaging Machinery Company, North Arlington, NJ. Filed Apr. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 721,70 1 Int. Cl. B65b 6'1/14 US. Cl. 53134 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a machine for securing a tab to a package, flattening the projecting tab and punching a hole through the tab. The package is intermittently fed along a table or support to three successive stations where the three operations are carried out.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further objects of the invention will be clear from the following description and drawings in which FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the driving mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the machine shown in FIGS.

1,2and 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5-5 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a tab supply as shown at top of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5B is a side elevation taken substantially on line 5B-5B of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the parts in which the tab strip has been folded around the end of the package;

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on line 77 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation showing the tab compressing mechanism shown in FIG. 7, showing the compressing means in closed position to compress the tab;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on line 9--9 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a perspective elevation showing the tab secured to a single package; and

FIG. 11 is a view showing the tab secured to two packages.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The machine illustrated in the drawings shows means for feeding a package successively to the stations designated on the drawings as 1, 2 and 3. At Station 1 a tab is folded intermediate its ends and the end portions are secured to the front and back of the package.

At Station 2 a folded tab secured to the package as shown in Station 1, is compressed so that the projecting portion of the tab beyond the package is flattened.

At Station 3 a flattened tab is punched to provide a hole so that the package can be hung up by the tab.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings a Motor M drives a chain 15 which in turn drives a sprocket 16 on a shaft 17. This shaft also carries a sprocket 18 which drives a chain 19 which in turn drives a sprocket 20 on a shaft 21. The shaft 21 has mounted thereon a spur gear 22 which meshes with a spur gear 23 on a shaft 24. The shaft 24 has a sprocket 25 which drives the chain 26 which in turn drives a sprocket 27 on a shaft 28. Shaft 28 has secured thereto a crank 29 having a roller 30 at its free end. The roller 30 engages notches 31 in a Geneva wheel 32 which is mounted on a shaft 33. The shaft 33 has mounted thereon a spur gear 34 which meshes with the gear 35 on a shaft 36 having also mounted thereon a sprocket wheel 37. The sprocket wheel 37 drives a feed chain 38 which is also mounted on an idler sprocket wheel 39. The chain 38 has secured thereto at spaced intervals feed bars 40 which feed packages P along a table 41. These packages are fed by the Geneva wheel 32 intermittently to the Stations 1, 2 and 3 and at these stations the operations above are performed.

Station 1 In connection with the folding and securing of the tab to the front and back of the package attention is particularly directed to FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5 the package P is shown as disposed between a guide plate 42 and a guide plate 43. The plate 43 has an opening 101 as shown in FIG. 4 through which the tab T is placed or fed. The tab T rests upon an angular plate 44. A frame comprising an upper plate 45 and a lower plate 46 is mounted on the supporting plate 47. Block 48 is slidably mounted an a rod 49 and two blocks 50 and 51 are also mounted on the plates 45 and 46. The upper block 50 is slidably mounted on pins or rods 52 and 53. The springs 54 bias the block 50 downwardly toward the lower block 51.

The block 48 has pivoted thereto at 60 a link 61 which is secured to one end 62 of a bell crank lever arm .63 mounted on a pivot 64. The other arm of the bell crank lever shown at is adjustable relative to the arm 63 as shown at 66. The arm 65 is connected to a link 68 which in turn is pivoted to an arm 69 mounted on a fixed pivot 70. The arm 69 has a roller 71 which is engaged by a cam 72 on shaft 24 and the rotation of the cam oscillates the arm 69 and link 68 and thereby oscillates the bell crank lever 63, 65. The spring 73 holds roller 71 in engagement with the cam 72.

As the bell crank lever is oscillated in the manner above described, the block 48 slides along the rod 49 and thus carries the blocks 50 and 51 from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 6. The blocks 50 and 51 engage the tab T and fold the tab midway so that the two ends will be disposed above and below the edge of the package P. As is apparent from the drawings, when the blocks 50 and 51 are moved horizontally, the tab T is bent along the portion of the edge of the member 43 which is adjacent the opening 101. The blocks 50 and 51 have heating coils 74 and the ends of the tab T are heat sealed to the front and back faces of the package.

After the tab has been folded over and secured to the front and back faces of the packages, the package and tab attached thereto are fed to Station 2 where the operations illustrated particularly in FIGS. 7 and 8 are carried out.

The tabs can be fed manually to the ledge or plate 44 and alternatively, can be fed by a reciprocatable feed such as illustrated in FIGS. 5, A and 5B which are located at Station 1. A magazine 100 is suitably located above Station 1 so that a tab may be fed between plate 43 and a guide 102 through the opening 101. At the discharge end of the magazine 100 is a slide pusher 103 mounted between ways 104 and 105 and vertically reciprocated by bell cranks 106 and 107 pivoted on the magazine at 10 8. The long arms of these cranks pivotally hold a spindle 109 attached to the slide pusher 103 at 110. The shorter arms are attached to cranks 112 and 113 mounted on the base of magazine 100 at 114 which are rocked in timed relation, by means not shown, so that pusher 103 moves from the position shown in FIG. SE to that shown in FIG. 5 and carries with it by means of a thin protruding edge 111 one tab seating it on the plate 44. The supply of tabs is spring pressed against the inner surface of the ways 104 and 105 and so do not put pressure on the slide during its movement.

Station 2 The operation carried out at Station 2 is illustrated particularly in FIGS. 7 and 8. From the showing in FIG. 7 it will be noted that the shaft 21 has mounted thereon a cam 75. The cam 75 is engaged by a roller 76 mounted on a slidable bar 77 which has been secured to the upper end thereof at right angles thereto a plate 78 which has mounted on the outer end thereof ablock 79 which is secured to pins 80. Springs 81 surround the pins 80 and are interposed between plate 78 and the block 79 thereby pressing the block 79 downwardly.

The block 79 coacts with a block 82 mounted on the upper end of the frame member 83 and the package with the tab thereon advances from Station 1, where the tab has been secured to the package, to a position between the blocks 79 and 82. These blocks compress the tab in the manner shown in FIG. 8 and each block is provided with heaters 84 which seal the juxtaposed portions of the tab in the position shown in FIG. 8.

Station 3 After the tab has taken the form shown in FIG. 8 the chain and feed bars feed the package to Station 3 where the tab is fed between a pair of plates or bars 85 and 86, where the tab is punched to provide a hole therethrough by means of which the package can be hung up. A punch 87 is mounted in the upper bar 85 and is normally held in its upper position by a spring 88. The upper end of the punch 87 is contacted by an adjustable stud 89 threaded through a link 90 mounted on a fixed pivot 91. The other end of the link 90 is engaged by a plate 92 which extends at right angles to a vertical portion 93 of a bracket 94 mounted on the upper end of a bar 95, slidably mounted and normally spring held in an upward direction by a spring 96. The bar 95 has secured thereto a roller 97 which is engaged by cam 98 secured to the shaft 17. As the cam rotates the bar 95 is intermittently reciprocated to operate the punch 87 by means of the contact of the plate 92 with the link 90 which carries stud 89 which in turn engages the upper end of the punch 87.

From the above description it will be seen that simple and practical means has been provided for securing a tab to a package, flattening the tab, and punching a hole therethrough. These operations are carried out at the three stations to which the package is fed intermittently by the rotation of the Geneva wheel. Thus, in its passage along the support or table 41, a tab is folded intermediate its length, the ends of the tab are secured to the package, the tab is flattened and a hole is punched therethrough. 1

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly for attaching a tab on a package comprising:

(a) means for intermittently feeding packages along a path, a

(b) means located along said path to position a tab strip to be used on a package,

I (0) means for folding said tab strip to be secured to said package, 1

(d) means for securing the ends of the folded tab strip to two different faces of the package, and

(e) means to flatten only the folded tab strip at a location thereon away from said package to which said ends are secured.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the tab strip comprises a heat scalable material located at the ends thereof and said securing means includes means for pressing said ends against two different faces of the package and heating means for sealing said ends to said two different faces.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said tab strip positioning means is located at a tab securing work station.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said feed means includes a supporting table along which said packages-move to the tab securing work station.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said securing means includes means for passing the ends of said tab strip against the upper and lower faces of each package which is disposed at said tab securing work station.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said tab strip positioning means includes means to feed tab strips to said tab securing work station.

7. An assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said feed means includes means to intermittently move a package from said tab securing work station to at least a tab flattening work station,

said flattening means being disposed at said tab flattening work station.

8. An assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said feed means includes means to intermittently move a package from said tab flattening work station to at least a tab punching work station and means is mounted at said tab punching work station to punch at least one hole in the flattened tab strip.

9. An assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said feed means includes means to intermittently move a package from said tab flattening work station to at least a tab punching work station and means is mounted at said tab punching work station to punch a hole in the flattened tab strip.

10. An assembly for attaching a tab on a package comprising:

(a) means for intermittently feeding packages along a path,

(b) means located along said path to'position a tab strip to be used on a package,

(c) means for folding said tab strip to be secured to said package,

(d) means for securing the ends of the folded tab strip to two different faces of the package,

(e) means to flatten only the folded tab strip at a location thereon away from said package to which said ends are secured, and

(f) means for punching at least one hole in the flattened tab strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner 

